In 1973, the year of its birth, there was no certainty, only hope – would the Passat be just as successful as the Beetle?
Just one year later, it was clear that customers had welcomed the saloon designed by Giorgio Giugiaro with open arms. The success of the new model was already apparent in 1974 when it was number one in the German registration statistics.
After 44 years, Volkswagen can be proud of the 24 million units it has built. They were not just produced in Emden and Zwickau, however. The Passat has rolled off assembly lines in ten countries over its long history. Production sites stood and stand in Belgium, Japan and South Africa among others.
The estate now has two brothers: the GTE, which features a combined drive concept using electricity and petrol, and the rugged Alltrack. The Alltrack was unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show on 3 December 2011. A lumberjack shirt is all that is missing from its outdoorsman look.
Upon seeing its powerful bumpers, broad sills, robust skid plate and striking wide wheel arch trims, you can almost hear it whisper: "When are we going? To the Maritime Alps in France? To the Carpathians in Romania? Or just to the Harz mountains of Northern Germany?" This mid-range bestseller tackles stony tracks and wet forest roads with secure grip – no matter where the wanderlust leads it and its occupants.
A welcome guest in any travel group
Its standard all-wheel drive, numerous driver assist systems, which have been optimised for off-road driving, and the corresponding engine and gearbox control systems ensure maximum driving stability. The complex technology is child's play: you activate off-road mode at the push of a button and the car starts. The popular family car effortlessly hauls the luggage of a complete travel group even on hot summer's day. A maximum trailer weight amounting to an impressive 2.2 tonnes will reassure any exhausted hiking companion as well as most proud yacht captains.
You still have plenty of space for an extra load of firewood as the luggage compartment volume measures almost 1,800 litres.
The Alltrack is also light-footed when powering forwards on asphalt. Thanks to a maximum 500 newton metres of torque, the top model moves most trailers as easily as a mountain farmer carries an old milk churn into the kitchen.
Excellent resale value, even without emergency lights
Its brother, the familiar Passat Estate, probably never had to transport milk churns during its service with the police, customs and fire brigade. Many other challenges await during the hard everyday work with the authorities.
The wide range of special optional equipment and fittings explains the continuously high demand among public authorities. It is highly coveted as a used car among many family men – without emergency lights. Former executive cars that are equipped with all options are sought after in particular.
The 700 Watt overall output of the Dynaudio sound system is just one facet of the extensive convenience pack.
Protecting the smallest of wild boar
However, it is not just the sound that is good inside the Passat. If you want, you can replace the traditional speedometer and rev counter with the Active Info Display – a treat for the eyes of any frequent driver.
You can choose from five different views and thus adapt the instruments ideally to your preferences. Furthermore the high-resolution screen displays additional information. For example, you can arrange the contact photos from your personal phone book or the track listing for your favourite CD in your direct field of vision. The clever LED headlights provide further relaxation for your eyes.
Not just for opticians and eye specialists: clever LED headlights.
Making any night-time journey home as bright as day: a camera is integrated behind the interior mirror allowing you to drive with a dazzle-free continuous full beam. It monitors oncoming traffic and sends information to the lights. The additional cornering lights will also pick out the smallest wild boar along the edge of the road.
In contrast to the endurance runners used by the police and fire brigade, the Passat GTE comes equipped with LED headlights as standard.
Silently mobile, even when it is calm: the Passat Estate GTE.
This plug-in hybrid is available both as a saloon and an estate. The GTE can drive up to 50 kilometres fully electrically. Among the three Passat brothers, it is therefore the cosmopolitan city dweller with a passion for high tech. It is highly suited for a spontaneous city trip from Amsterdam to Paris and back. The combination of a full tank and fully charged battery potentially gives you a range of around 1,000 kilometres and driving fun without stopping to refuel.
Lots of fun for Japanese tourists
The Japanese tourists in Paris will have enjoyed the sight of this Passat just as much: they soon recognised the Volkswagen featuring innovative drive technology thanks to the C-shaped LED daytime running lights and the blue line on the radiator grille. It was, of course, immediately surrounded and photographed.
The guests from Asia did not, however, discover the socket in the radiator grille hidden next to the brand logo. Once over 890,000 vehicles featuring this combined drive concept are on the road across the world in 2018, they may remember their first encounter with this special member of the Passat family.